The government has announced a £1 billion investment in a new National Biosecurity Centre at Weybridge, in Surrey, to bolster the UK’s disease defences and help avoid a future pandemic.
The funding, announced today as part of the new National Security Strategy, will deliver the next phase of the Centre, described as a cutting-edge scientific campus that will serve as the UK’s foremost animal biosecurity facility. It follows Defra secretary Steve Reed’s announcement in January of a £200m investment in the new Centre to improve the UK’s resilience against animal disease.
Preparatory work at the Weybridge site is already underway, with planning consent secured and a contractor appointed to build the main new facilities. The first interim labs to bridge the gap while the site is transformed will be ready in 2027 and 2028 and the main construction works will start in 2027, with the full NBC live and operational in 2033/34.
Defra said the new facility will play an essential role in addressing the full range of biological threats the UK faces, including from hostile nations, and will ensure that the UK retains the scientific capability, infrastructure and expertise needed to lead international efforts to identify, manage, and mitigate disease threats in the years ahead.
It acknowledged that the high containment laboratories for animal health, run by the Animal & Plant Health Agency urgently need renewal to handle escalating disease risks, which are growing in the face of our changing climate. “The Government inherited laboratories in poor condition with their long-term future in doubt and the country facing increased risk without action,” Defra said.
The new facility will join a network of national centres set up by the Cabinet Office under the UK Biological Security Strategy, providing a ‘sovereign capability that keeps the public safe and is essential to responding to biological security risks’. It will ensure the UK is better prepared for a crisis, can respond more effectively when an incident does happen and deliver a more holistic approach to biological research, the department added.
Serious risk
Earlier this month, the National Audit Office published a damning report on the UK’s preparedness for a major disease outbreak, highlighting, among other things, the need to upgrade outdated facilities at Weybridge.
The government acknowledged that animal disease outbreaks ‘represent a serious and increasing risk to public health, food security, and the UK economy’.
Approximately 60% of all known human infectious diseases are zoonotic, meaning they can be transmitted from animals to humans. Furthermore, about 75% of emerging infectious diseases originate in animals, making the fight against these diseases about human health and security too, it said.
“Without strong and modernised biosecurity infrastructure, disease incursions could severely impact our farmers, agricultural production, devastate rural communities and disrupt key supply chains. The export of livestock, meat and meat products, dairy and animal by-products is worth £16 billion per year alone to the UK economy,” Defra said.
Defra secretary Steve Reed said: “The first role of any Government is national security. That is why we are making a record investment into the nation’s biosecurity capabilities, and in turn our national security, after years of chronic underfunding.
“Farmers and food producers will now be better protected from diseases, our food security strengthened, and public health better safeguarded against future pandemics.”
Jenny Stewart, senior science director at APHA, said: “This funding is a vital milestone in the delivery of a world-leading facility that will protect the UK from animal disease threats for decades to come.
“Our scientists and specialists at Weybridge are at the heart of the UK’s disease surveillance and response capability and provide a global centre of expertise.
“Investment on this scale will enable them to continue their critical work in modern, fit-for-purpose facilities, supported by the very latest technologies.”
Industry reaction
NPA chief executive Lizzie Wilson said: “The recent National Audit Office report reiterated that the full rebuild of the APHA facilities at Weybridge will require a total of £2.8 billion worth of investment over 15 years.
“As such today’s announcement is hugely welcome news and shows a long-term commitment from the government to the improvement of this vital piece of national infrastructure.”
Tony Goodger, head of communications at the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS) said: “With the export of livestock, meat and meat products, dairy and animal by-products worth £16 billion per year alone to the UK economy, AIMS welcomes today’s announcement.”
He also welcomed the Government’s acknowledgement that animal disease outbreaks represent a ‘serious and increasing risk to public health, food security, and the UK economy’.
“It is our view that wherever possible that wherever possible all measures need to be taken to ensure that animal diseases don’t arrive in the first place. This will require more investment on border security at the ports and airports,” he said.